Just a quick post to let people know I’ve made a torrent for the third release of the Australian census 2011. I’m seeding it for anyone that wants a copy. It’s a 4.6GB download, the contents are unchanged from the original ABS DVDs, except that they have been recompressed with XZ rather than Zip (~ 50% smaller than the original zip files.)

The source of this data is the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia licence. Once you’ve downloaded the file, there is more information on licensing and attribution in the “About DataPacks” folder.

I actually think the DataPacks are way more convenient than what was available for the 06 census. I set up automated downloads of thousands of files. This time it’s few enough that it can be done by hand.

Has anyone actually suggested to the ABS that they might be able to reach a wider audience by uploading a torrent? I’m willing to bet my lunch money that:
1) No, most of you will just have complained about it on blogs like these.
2) Uploading of a torrent has simply never occurred to the ABS rather than being consciously chosen against to recoup $250.
3) Access to torrent sites will be blocked by their departmental firewall/proxy server.

I’m as frustrated as the rest of you about some of the way the ABS do things, but enough with the conspiracy theories already. At least they’re one of the few government departments who have actually gone leaps and bounds in the past five years in widening access to data for a greater good and common purpose. Not to mention the fact they *legitimately* seek and act upon feedback when it’s brought to their attention.

Haha, that’s a good and well deserved question. Anything that’s frustrated me, yes, I’ve raised. But access to the data is not something that’s actually bothered me this time, since I receive the discs in the mail for my $250. To be honest, I’ve been quite surprised at how efficient that process has been and the improvement from the 2006 census has been significant, when there were frequent delays and recalls.

That said, the torrent suggestion is a good one and I’d be surprised if it weren’t included for 2016…..if it’s raised with the ABS.

It’s the comments like $250 being a money-maker or a deliberate form of obtuseness that make me laugh. For me, their biggest problem is still navigation to content and UI.

Can I get a DVD DataPack with just one DataPack on it – and pay less?
No. However, DataPacks can be downloaded from our website for free. DataPacks for download become available about three weeks after the DVDs become available.

How much does a DataPack cost to download?
DataPack downloads are free